Find a Roofer you can trust in Leven.

There are a few reasons why commercial buildings often have flat roofs. Lots of people argue that flat roofs aren’t as attractive as pitched roofs, which is why it’s uncommon to see a residential property with an entirely flat roof. Lots of commercial buildings don’t need to look attractive, so go for flat roofs because they’re cheaper.

Flat roofs tend to be less expensive than pitched roofs, especially for large, broad commercial buildings. Some commercial buildings simply couldn’t have a pitched roof because their width would mean that the roof would have to be extremely high. Flat roofs are also cost-effective for commercial buildings because it means that air conditioning and ventilation units can go on the roof, saving space in and around the building.

Commercial buildings also often have flat roofs because they don’t need the loft space that residential properties need. If there’s no need for the space, it doesn’t make sense to spend more money on a pitched roof just to keep the attic space empty. Flat roofs also give the commercial building owner the opportunity to use the space as a smoking area for employees or give access to fire escapes to upper floors.

If you’re having a commercial property build, make sure you speak to the experts about the type of roof that is suitable for you. If you’re planning on having air conditioning or ventilation systems installed within the property, you might be best off with a flat roof – but if you need some extra storage space, a pitched roof might work best for you.

Chimney liners are a very important component of the chimney, but the fact is most home and property owners either continue to overlook them or aren’t even aware of their existence. This is, however, quite understandable given the fact that they usually last a long period of time – more than 50 years. To ensure that they last that long, the question that arises is, do chimney liners need to be swept and cleaned? The short and simple answer to this question is yes, chimney liners definitely needs to be cleaned on a frequent basis. A chimney liner happens to be an essential part of your chimney. When it’s not cleaned, it tends to accumulate dust, soot and dirt which can give rise to a number of problems you’d rather want to avoid. Chimney liner are able to provide adequate protection to your flue but even at that the water, creosote and other contaminant build up can make the liner to deteriorate, and making it unsafe for usage. In other words, contrary to several belief, chimney liners do need the same amount of cleaning as chimneys without liners. Failure to sweep your chimney liners can give rise to the following problems:

• Creosote buildup. If your main source of fire is wood, then you’ll definitely have creosote present in your chimney. This is highly combustible and its buildup may lead to fire outbreak.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is said to be on the rise by NCBI and its primarily generated from heating systems which are terribly ventilated as a result of uncleaned or dirty chimneys.

How Often Do Flat Roofs Need Replacing?

When a flat roof needs to be replaced is determined by a number of factors which includes the roof’s exposure to the weather, the condition and age of the roofing materials as well as the construction of the roof. However, with proper maintenance and regular inspection, they should be used for nothing less than 50 years. There are some commonly used types of flat roofs which includes Felt flat roof as well as a GRP flat roof.

Felt Flat Roof

The lifespan of a felt flat roof also varies depending on the quality and grade of the felt roof incorporated. This can make the roof last within the range of 2 to 20 years. More often than not, felt flat roofs are usually installed in such a way to keep the costs down which implies the grades of felts that are mostly used are the economical ones implying a very short lifespan.

In the event whereby a premium grade of felt is incorporated in constructing a roof by professional contractors, will be guaranteed by the manufacturer to last between 10 to 20 years.

One of the major causes of a short lifespan in felts is leaks which should be regularly inspected and repaired once identified. If not, the roof will gradually deteriorate and become a lot weaker due to the action of the sun. However, when a felt roof starts to leak, it’s usually a sign that’s approaching the end of its lifespan and a replacement should be taken into account.

GRP Flat Roof

The GRP flat roof or fibreglass flat roof usually comes with a manufacturer’s guarantee of 20 years and is expected to have a lifespan of a minimum of an additional 10 years.

Unlike felt roofs, they’re more resistant to leaks. However, they should also be regularly inspected for leaks which are caused mostly as a result of installation error rather than the GRP roofing approaching the end of its useful life. If the GRP roof repair does not totally resolve the leak, you should start considering a replacement.

You should inspect your roof twice a year, ideally after rain or snow, to see if it’s draining properly. Also in the Spring to check for damage that may of been caused over the winter months that will need to be put right before the next winter. Have an inspection carried out if you are unsure.

How To Clean Algae Off Roof Shingles

Stains and dirt on asphalt shingles can only make your entire house look shabby which can go a long way to hide away the true value of your building. In some cases, dirts and stains on asphalt roofing shingles are nothing more than a cosmetic issue. However, there are also times in which it goes far beyond this - when the stains are indicators of a problem that if ignored, can result in a serious roof damage and ultimately, roof failure. In most cases, it’s usually hard to distinguish these stains and hence, the more reason why your asphalt roofing shingles should be regularly cleaned and maintained. In this article, we’re going to look at how you can get rid of algae of your roof shingles.

Algae growth on roof usually have either blue, green or black stains. They normally begin with little spots which will develop into streaks overtime. These stains are mostly mistaken for moss or mildew and aren’t harmful to any other thing than the roof shingles. However, the look it gives the entire house is something nobody enjoys.

It should be noted that this is a task that deals with working at height and requires skills and confidence to pull off. If you lack any of these qualities, simply reach out to a professional for help.

✓ Safety first. Put on protective clothing.

✓ Apply a bleach solution with a garden sprayer and let it sit for up to 20 minutes

✓ Rinse the roof thereafter with the stream from the hose (do not use a pressure washer as it can damage the roof shingles)

✓ If there are still algae left after rinsing with water, you can make use of a brush with medium-stiff bristles to gently scrub the stains off. If some stains are still left, simply let the roof dry before repeating the process again.

Commercial roofing simply refers to any roofing work, including installation and repair, that is done to commercial buildings. This might include office roofs, shop roofs or commercial unit roofs. Every building needs a roof to keep out the rain!

Since looks aren’t usually the first priority with commercial buildings, lots of commercial properties have flat roofs. These are often made from felt, EDPM rubber or fibreglass. Felt is the cheapest commercial roofing material, while fibreglass tends to be the most expensive. In felt roofs, roofers use an adhesive to stick roofing felt onto a frame. EDPM rubber roofs have a rubber membrane that is laid down and glued onto the roof and coated with a contact adhesive, while fibreglass uses a cut glass fibre mat that is pressed on before a resin and topcoat are applied.

Not all roofing companies will offer commercial roofing services, because generally the buildings tend to be bigger. Small companies won’t have enough tradespeople to work on a roof without making it very expensive for you. Commercial buildings also tend to need more scaffolding to make it safe for the professionals to work, so some smaller roofing companies won’t offer commercial services. Make sure you check a company’s website or social media if you’re looking for commercial roofing – on the Quotatis Directory, our roofers will show whether they do commercial roofing to make your search easier.

While it sounds like it could be difficult to plasterboard around a Velux window, it needn’t be. As long as you have the right tools and materials, you should be able to plasterboard around your roof window easily and make good ready to be skimmed. When you or a tradesperson has fitted your Velux window into your roof, you’ll probably need to plasterboard over it to create a good ceiling. To do this, you’ll need:

• Plasterboard sheets – make sure you measure your room so you know how much you’ll need
• Screws to secure the board in place
• Drill
• Hammer
• Straight edge and pen knife to score the board before trimming
• Fine toothed saw the cut the plasterboard

When you’re ready to plasterboard around your roof window, make sure you’ve cleared enough space to work in. Then you can begin by cutting your plasterboard to size using your straight edge and pen knife to score, then your saw to get a clean cut. A common way of plasterboarding around your Velux window is to use the groove on the window frame to hold one edge of the board, then screw the other edge to the battens on the ceiling. People often use drywall screws these days as they have a better grip of the plasterboard as they drive through. You’ll need to use a drill to screw these in. However, you could use plasterboard nails, which are galvanised to stop rusting. When you’ve done this, you can then skim the walls or ask a plasterer to do it for you. Plastering, while it looks easy, is a tricky skill so it’s always best to ask a professional to do it.